Samuel F. B. Morse, His Letters and Journals eBook

“In the earlier period of the invention it was
a matter which experience alone could determine whether
the numerical system, by means of a numbered
dictionary, or the alphabetic mode, by spelling of
the words, was the better. While I perceived
some advantages in the alphabetic system, especially
in the writing of proper names, I at that time leaned
rather towards the numerical mode under the
impression that it would, on the whole, be the more
rapid. A very short experience, however, showed
the superiority of the alphabetic mode, and the big
leaves of the numbered dictionary, which cost me a
world of labor, and which you, perhaps, remember,
were discarded and the alphabetic installed in its
stead.” Perhaps the most conclusive evidence
that Vail did not invent this alphabet is contained
in his own book on the “American Electro-Magnetic
Telegraph,” published in 1845, in which he lays
claim to certain improvements. After describing
the dot-and-dash alphabet, he says:—­

“This conventional alphabet was originated on
board the packet Sully by Professor Morse, the very
first elements of the invention, and arose from the
necessity of the case; the motion produced by the magnet
being limited to a single action. During the
period of the thirteen years many plans have been
devised by the inventor to bring the telegraphic
alphabet to its simplest form.”

The italics are mine, for the advocates of Vail have
always quoted the first sentence only, and have said
that the word “originated” implies that,
while Vail admitted that the embryo of the alphabet—­the
dots and dashes to represent numbers only—­was
conceived on the Sully, he did not admit that the
alphabetical code was Morse’s. But when
we read the second sentence with the words “devised
by the inventor,” the meaning is so plain that
it is astonishing that any one at all familiar with
the facts could have been misled.

The first form of the alphabet which was attached
to Morse’s caveat of October 3, 1837, is shown
in the drawing of the type in the accompanying figure.

[Illustration: ROUGH DRAWING OF ALPHABET BY MORSE
Showing the first form of the alphabet and the changes
to the present form]

It has been stated by some historians that the system
of signs for letters was not attached to the caveat,
but a careful reading of the text, in which reference
is made to the drawing, will prove conclusively that
it was. Moreover, in this caveat under section
5, “The Dictionary or Vocabulary,” the
very first sentence reads: “The dictionary
is a complete vocabulary of words alphabetically arranged
and regularly numbered, beginning with the letters
of the alphabet.” The italics are mine.
The mistake arose because the drawing was detached
from the caveat and affixed to the various patents
which were issued, even after the first form of the
alphabet had been superseded by a better one, the principle,
however, remaining the same, so that it was not necessary
to patent the new form.